Chakracize with the Anahata Chakra - the Heart

Last night Brian and I went to a couples' group at church about love and relationships. It was called, "Love Talk." After the initial introductions and video we got right to the point about getting where you want to go. I thought it sounded so much like "setting your intention" which is what we do at the beginning of each yoga practice. Here are some of the suggestions that were made.
1. Be a better listener
2. Stay on point in discussions
3. Don't finish my partner's sentences
4. Curb my emotions when talking
5. Be more sensitive to my partner's feelings
6. Think clearly before speaking
7. Avoid jumping to conclusions
8. Tune in to and discern the other's emotions
9. Maintain eye contact while talking
10. Be more vulnerable
11. Speak with more clarity
12. Invite and receive feedback
13. Use more humor
14. Come across personally warmer
15. Be more assertive with my needs
16. Better assess when to talk
17. Don't jump to conclusions
Love Talk by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott

I thought to myself, "WOW! I can find something I need to improve on in each of those 17 suggestions." Then the pastor, Chris Tiger, and his wife, Priscilla, did a great job of making us feel at ease by sharing their experiences. At the end Brian and I rated each other on five realms of communication and set goals for ourselves.

You might ask me, "Jeanne, that is a nice story, but what does that have to do with YOGA?"

Smiling, I would reply, "Those 17 suggestions are all about what happens in a yoga class, and they are all practical recommendations for every practice that we participate in with yoga."

In yoga we open our hearts and unleash joyful fearlessness in order to stretch, expand, and strengthen. We leave with a feeling of being empowered and blissful. Receiving feedback and having a sense of lightness with humor makes us let go of the ego-attachments related to pride or self-criticism. Alignment, attitude, and action go along with every yoga posture just like these three go along with relationships. I remember hearing someone say one time that love is not a noun; it is a verb, and that means it should be something that we live and do not just say.

The heart chakra or Anahata Chakra is in the center of the chest and spine. Anahata means "whole or unbroken." This is the seat of love and compassion. People with warmth, lovingkindness, tolerance, and compassion for others in their immediate circle of partner, family, friends, and beyond have an openness in their fourth chakra. Those with a poorly developed or blocked Anahata Chakra have difficulties with relationships and the proper balance between giving and receiving of love. They often complain of loneliness (even with a partner) and feelings of isolation. A weakened or blocked heart chakra prevents one's inner feelings from unfolding.

Just like the couples' class that we attended, all of us need to work on our seat of compassion and lovingkindness. In yoga practice we use variations of chest opening postures to help open up this area of our body. This might include cobra pose, locust pose, camel pose, bow pose, fish pose, and other backbending postures. Also similar to the potential goals we went over in class, we set our intention to open this chakra through our practice and end with life-giving affirmations in final relaxation. Some of these include the following:
!. My heart is open to giving and receiving love.
2. I lovingly accept myself as I am.
3. I give and receive with an open heart and bind myself to all living beings.

We will be doing heart opening postures this week in yoga, and I would love for you to join us. You can e-mail me back at tranquilityyogastudio@gmail.com for more information on class times and receive a weekly newsletter. Join us this week and set your intention to be more open and receptive with supplies of energy for all aspects of love, joy, and surrender.

Namaste'

God grant me the serenity

God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me. ~Author Unknown

Change is good for us. I believe that when we learn to let go of our attachment to not changing; changing can benefit us in so many ways.

Due to our big snow in February, our school day has become longer. As an elementary teacher, I must adapt to the change. Therefore, all of our classes during the weekdays will move to 5:30 p.m. We will compensate by having a Sunday afternoon class for beginners and intermediates at 2:30. Saturday mornings our yoga practice offers two different time frames. One is Sunrise Yoga at 7:00 a.m., and the other is at 9:00 a.m. for Yoga + Pilates.

I apologize for the change, but I know that life brings events that often change us as we learn to accept the inevitability that nothing is permanent.

So, how is it that when life is spun around by circumstances, benign or otherwise, some people flail, while others sail? Why do some of us wallow in that place where we're so shocked and unhappy about an unexpected turn of events that we resist reality and find ourselves mired in bitterness or fear or hopelessness? Instead of accepting change with grace, we dig in our heels and suffer through each day of things not being what we think they should be. What's the secret to riding each new wave gracefully—regardless of whether it deposits you gently on the beach or wallops you down to the seafloor?

"I hear a lot of people say that change is exciting, but they mean a specific kind of change," says the Reverend Frank Jude Boccio, an interfaith minister and yoga therapist in New York, who is the author of Mindfulness Yoga (Wisdom, 2004). "We all have an aversion to change that we'd rather not have. Certain change is appreciated, and some is not."

The funny thing is that as a culture, we seem determined to celebrate change. "Change is good," we tell each other, and, "Everything happens for a reason." Thoreau himself volunteered, "All change is a miracle to contemplate." Yes, we praise the virtues of change religiously—until some unwanted, unscripted change occurs. Then, mostly, we long for permanence. For all our professed faith in the benefits of transformation, we are a species that falls to pieces upon learning that something we want is sold out. Generally, we cement where possible and panic where not. The smallest nudging of our routine can send us into a tizzy, while big disruptions send us into therapy.

How can you learn to accept change with equanimity, absorbing each phase in stride and learning from each new experience? The answer may come from dealing with change in these stages.

Loosen Your Grip
When any unscripted change comes down the pike, there's an overwhelming feeling of losing control, and that's perfectly normal—and also perfectly delusional, says Herdis Pelle, a teacher at the Berkeley Yoga Center in Berkeley, California. "We're moving into unknown territory," she says. "Deep down, we're never in control."

Separate Your Feelings
Once you've accepted your utter lack of control, it can still take some doing to accept the emotions that often accompany a sudden unraveling of your expectations. Even minor setbacks challenge us. Take Frank Jude Boccio's experience of returning to his Hudson Valley home after time away; the famous fall colors had just faded. "I was really disappointed," he says. "I found myself wishing I could change it back, or have come home earlier. And that wasn't right."

By that, Boccio doesn't mean that his disappointment was unjustified—that he should learn to see winter's colors as just as pretty as autumn's. His idea is more nuanced: you can be disappointed with certain changes, but you accept that disappointment the same way you'd accept delight.

What does that mean? Surely you can't be expected to rate disappointment the same as delight. No, says Boccio, but you can separate your feelings from your response to them.

By distinguishing your core emotions from those that pile on afterward, you don't limit your emotional life; on the contrary, you unclutter it. As Boccio says, it's the clutter that leads you away from your true experience and into murkier territory.

Mitra Somerville, a teacher at the Integral Yoga Institute of New York in Manhattan, looks at major life changes and their constellations of angst in terms of what is, and isn't, permanent. Your duty, he says, is to recognize that in the midst of radical transformations, you, yourself remain stable. If you can come to an understanding of this—through asana (yoga posture), breathwork, meditation—you can soothe the discomfort brought on by external changes. "The yogic thinking is that there's part of us that's unchanging—the spiritual part of us that has peace and joy and love," he says. "The nature of the world, however, is in flux."

Tap Into Wisdom
Learning to make peace with life's calamities—lost jobs, romances, dreams—does not mean you have to be passive.

"Sometimes we try to provoke change in our lives," Boccio says. "Rather than just be with sadness, anxiety, or anger, we want to change it. And that inability to sit with what's happening is duhkha, suffering."

"We practice so that we can be guided from within," says Somerville. In stilling your thoughts, you free up a more reliable inner wisdom. "The more peaceful your mind is, the clearer and stronger your intuition is, and the better able you are to make the proper decision."

Expect the Unexpected
Prepare for life's ups and downs with a daily practice. Frank Jude Boccio offers some ideas for a change-friendly inner life.

Accept Impermanence
Every morning, I repeat a mindfulness verse: "Great is the matter of birth and death; impermanence surrounds us. Be awake each moment; do not waste your life." Much of my practice has to do with aligning myself with that. Then, ideally, my action comes from the situation, rather than from a false perception of what's happening.

Practice Mindfulness
Come back to the present moment. Great teaching points out that you can be happy in a pleasant situation, but then it's all too easy to lose yourself in the pleasure.

Take a Breath
When faced with a change, pleasant or otherwise, I try to tune in to my breath, and how I'm feeling in my body. Tuning into the breath gives me time to respond better to an unpleasant situation. Chris Colin

Hope to see you at 5:30 or soon after for yoga practice on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and/or Friday evenings.
Namaste'
Jeanne

Restorative Yoga at 2:30 Sunday afternoon

"The primary aim of yoga is to restore the mind to simplicity and peace, to free it from confusion and distress. This sense of calm comes from the practice of yogic asanas (postures) and pranayama (breath work). Unlike other forms of exercise which strain muscles and bones, restorative yoga gently rejuvenates the body." Often in our fast paced world, we look for fast paced exercise. However, even too much power yoga and not any restorative yoga can be hard on the body and mind.

Today is our make-up class for last week's snow day on Wednesday evening. We are doing a restorative yoga class which is pose specific and uses a lot of props. It is for beginners and intermediates, and you are welcome to bring a friend to punch off your Tranquility Yoga card since it is February friend month.

If you haven't been to yoga in a while or are a new beginner, this class is for you. If you are a heavy duty exercise person, this class is for you. If you only like power yoga, this class is for you. If you like a slower class with longer holds, more blankets, even a chair, this class is for you. If you dislike slow restorative yoga, this class is especially for you.

"Yoga can heal parts of our bodies that have been injured, traumatized, or simply ignored and neglected." Bring an open mind, willing spirit, and come in comfortable clothes.

Hope to see you today at 2:30 in the afternoon!
Namaste'
Jeanne

"The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life." B.K.S. Iyengar
--

Jeanne K. Doss
Tranquility Yoga
Registered Yoga Teacher 200 hr. - Yoga Alliance
Certified Personal Trainer - Cooper Institute
Pilates Instructor

I CAN Manipura Chakra - Chakracize with us #3 in a series

Third Chakra – Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)
“I CAN!” is the theme of this chakra balancing. I can overcome fear. I can overcome guilt. I can overcome negative self-talk. I can overcome doubt and mistrust. I can overcome defeat. I can overcome! One of my favorite Bible verses goes with the “I CAN” message. “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”

People who have blockages in the third chakra often are prey to insecurity and may suffer from a lack of life energy. Worry may sap that energy from us. Weakness in this chakra area has a detrimental effect like none other. A weak Manipura chakra will hinder the development of all the other chakras due to insecurity on one end and defiance of authority on the opposite side. The protection of our self and things identifies with our physical nature or ego make up the bottom half of the lower three chakras (base or root chakra, creative or sacral chakra, and the navel or solar plexus chakra).

Blockages can lead to different symptoms. Some of these symptoms may reflect as the following:
• Eating disorders
• Insomnia
• Nightmares (such as being chased or killed, being sick or unable to move, and a sudden transition from deep sleep to anxious awakening)
• Self-pity
• Jealousy

Developing healthy self-esteem and awareness have their foundation in the strength of the solar plexus chakra. People who exhibit a balance and strength in this area are the type of personalities who act from their will power and self-control as they strive to pursue their goals. They also exhibit sensitivity towards those around them. As leaders, they make the most of their professions and exhibit great influence on the people around them. We often recognize people who have a strong navel chakra by their spontaneity and ability to follow their gut instincts as they enjoy merriment and laughter.

The element of this chakra is fire, and the color is a yellow gold. In Sanskrit the navel chakra is the Manipura which translates as shining jewels or place of jewels (rich in energy). As a shining jewel similar to the sun, this area sheds its radiance through the entire body enriching all areas with the prana or universal life energy. On the body the Manipura chakra is located between the sternum and above the navel, and its energetic life force is towards the stomach, small intestine, and liver. It regulates the digestive system and autonomic nervous system.

Yoga Postures for the Navel Chakra include a warm-up with the following sequence of poses:
1. Cat/Cow – Marjaryasana/Bitilasana
2. Spinal Balance pose with the variation of opposite elbow to opposite knee abdominal crunch and/or adding in “crazy airplane” with extended hand coming to a 90 degree angle to the body and opposite flexed foot coming to the opposite side
3. Abdominal lifts with pelvic tilts in Bridge or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
4. Wind relieving pose – Pavanamuktasana
5. Easy Seated Pose or Sukhasana – pranayama practice
• Sitting in a comfortable position with eyes closed
• Gently place left palm over the center of your stomach and right hand over the left
• Relax and breathe in and out through your nose
• Focus your whole attention on your manipura or navel chakra area between the breast bone and navel
• Seek to identify this will of energy as you visualize a bright yellow ball of energy
• Inhale as you take it in; exhale as you allow it to distribute through the solar plexus region and out to the ends of your body
• Starting off at an inhalation of the count of four; exhalation of four
• Inhale to four, adding a pause at the top, and exhale to a count of five
• Continue in this breathing pattern with the inhalation of four, but begin to lengthen the pause to four counts, along with lengthening the exhale to eight counts
• Positive affirmations include the following:
1. I let my feelings run freely, and I trust my spontaneous decisions.
2. I use my inner strength to make the world a better place.
3. Through the power of my will, I can reach my goal.
4. I can _______________________________ as you finish the sentence making it appropriate to your own situation.
Sun Salute A and B – Surya Namaskar I and II
Warrior III – Virabhadrasana III
Extended leg with hands under the thigh – variation of Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
Modified Side Plank - Ardha Vasisthasana adding in leg lift perpendicular to the floor
Vasistasana with upper leg lifted
Warrior I and II – Virabhadrasana I and II moving to Trikonasana or Triangle
Moving to floor for variations of Navasana or Boat pose with Breath of Fire
Tabletop (often called “crab”) pose - Ardha Purvottanasana with Breath of Fire
Prone position for Extended Locust Pose – Ardha Salambhasana
Half Frog pose with front arm at a parallel position with the top of the mat – Ardha Bhekasana
Bow Pose – Dhanurasana
Child’s Pose - Balasana
Seated position for twisting position of Ardha Matsyendrasana
Supine position for modified Stomach Twist using Windshield Wiper Knees and full Supine Twist – Jathara Parivartanasana
Savasana

Yoga Poses for Lower Back and Arthritis Pain

Many people struggle with pain in their lumbar spine. I gave classes back in December for arthritic pain. Here is an excerpt from a private training for arthritis in the lower back. I hope that it will be beneficial to all who struggle with this issue.

One key factor in preventing strain in the lumbar spine is to maintain its natural degree of curvature. Too much or too little with excessive lordosis or flat lower back can be a precondition for arthritis and poor movement patterns resulting in pain. Normal curvature is maintained by balancing the two actions of moving the top of the thighs back, which arches the lower spine, and then pulling the tailbone down.
General tips for yoga include the following when dealing with arthritis and lower back discomfort:
• In forward folding, remember to bend at the hips not at the waist. Bring the top of your sacrum forward. Tightness in the hamstrings may make this challenging, but soften the knees.
• During twisting movements, stabilize the pelvis by keeping the navel facing forward, lengthen the spine on the inhalation, and twist easily (not overdoing).
• Yoga uses back-bending postures frequently. Remember to stabilize the tailbone and lift the middle and upper back away from the pelvis. This prevents movement from occurring only in the lumbar spine. As you coordinate the parts of the spine, you can distribute the stress of the movement.
• As you strengthen the abdominal muscles, your lower back support is enhanced.
• With all your yoga practice, be careful to do all types of movement. Bend forward, bend backward, bend to each side, and twist.
If you cannot do all the poses in the practice, bear in mind that it is best to do at least some of each type to improve pelvic coordination, a combination of iliopsoas control, ability to widen the thighs, flexion, and extension.
The practice:
1. Modified Jathara Parivartanasana - Supine position – Windshield wiper knees moving to the right and left ankles
2. Marjaryasana/Bitilasana - Cat/Cow (adding in a “C” Curve with the body)
3. Balasana - Side Child’s Pose – a combination of Child’s Pose and Thread the Needle
4. Phalakasana - Plank (modified on the knees or full plank)
5. Bhujangasana - Cobra pose (being very mindful about arching the spine very gently)
6. Salambhasana - Locust pose (airplane arms out to the side)
7. Adho Mukha Svanasana - Downward Dog against the Wall – hands parallel to the floor while pressing into the wall
8. Adho Mukha Svanasana - Reverse around with Downward Dog – heels against the baseboard
9. Anjaneyasana - Standing Lunge against the wall with toe towards the wall and fingertips pressing into the wall
10. Utthita Trikonasana - Extended Triangle against the wall
11. Utthita Parsvakonasana - Extended Side Angle against the wall
12. Clock Stretch – Pectoralis/Shoulder Stretch against the wall with arm outstretched at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 and back to 12:00. You decide how close to the wall you stand; the closer you come, the more intense the stretch.
13. Supta Padangusthasana - Supine position with feet against the wall – raise one leg with strap and other foot pressing into the wall
14. Using a chair:
a. Uttanasana - Forward fold with hands on outer shins
b. Bharadvajasana - Chair twist – sitting on the side of the chair use the back of the chair to elongate on the inhale and twist on the exhale.
c. Malasana or Garland Pose seated in the chair, widening out your knees, and on the exhale as you reach your chest forward and unroll your spine as you fold forward bringing your hands to blocks or the floor.
d. Ustrasana - Camel Pose with the chair as you kneel in front of the chair, facing away from it, and feet under the chair seat. Inhale as you lengthen and exhale and bring your hands to the sides of the chair.
e. Parighasana - Gate Pose with one leg under the chair and foot flexed. Your bent knee is the opposite leg and you inhale as you lengthen up with the outside arm and your inner arm rests on the chair seat. Then you stretch over the chair with your exhale.
f. Kapotasana - Pigeon Pose with a bolster or blanket underneath front of pelvis as your front knee is bent and back leg extended on the mat. Fold over the chair seat as it faces you. Keep the bent knee hip lifted and stretch into the straight extended leg hip flexor region.
15. Balasana - Child’s Pose with bolster and blankets
16. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - Bridge Pose with soft block underneath sacrum
17. Supta Padangusthasana - Supine Hand to Foot Pose with strap – keep other knee bent or leg extended depending on hip flexibility
18. Pavanamuktasana – Wind Relieving Pose as you bring one knee into your chest on the exhale and either extending the opposite leg on the floor or keeping it bent with foot on the floor.
19. Viparita Karani - Legs Up the Wall using blankets and a strap around the thighs to relax and come into Corpse Pose
20. Savasana for 5 minutes – Inhaling relaxation, exhaling tension as you make sure your lower back is comfortable using whatever props are necessary.
21. Namaste’
Information was gathered from Yoga for Arthritis by Dr. Loren Fishman and Ellen Saltonstall and personal experience.

Sacral Chakra or Swadhistana - Chakracize with our Second Energy Wheel

Resistance to change is a very normal reaction to all of us. Perhaps a prayer to begin our practice would be most beneficial.
A Prayer To Overcome Resistance To Change
God, I hand over my life to you,
Take the problems of the day and show me the gift behind them.
Take the joys of the day so that I may see You in them and my joy may be all the greater.
Dear God, I know I might take the day back into my hands, so please guide me to do otherwise.
Please guide me to look to you to be my strength.
Please guide me to trust you for the solutions.
Amen.
Accepting change allows us to grow!
Beginning our practice in Anjali Mudra with all four corners of our hands pressed together, our seated posture grounds us to the blanket or mat underneath our sitting bones. Our pranayama or breath practice is the sipping breath. Starting at the base of our spine, we sip seven breaths imagining each breath energizing from the root chakra to the crown chakra (pausing at each energy wheel or chakra). Exhaling very slow and completely, we release our breath all the way down. Let your breath lead. Physically our breath goes in and down, up and out. Energetically, our breath rises up to the top and returns down the spine to the base. Quieting our minds is always the key. If your mind wanders, bring it back to the counting of seven as you inhale and exhale and allow yourself to practice detachment to the various thoughts that arise.

As we transition to our back, we keep our breath at the count of seven in Bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) with our heels close to our hips, palms flat to the floor beside us. Inhaling lifting our hips and thighs, raising our arms above us, and exhaling lowering each vertebra down to the mat along with our arms. In yoga we often call this a gentle Bridge flow. Then, resting in Supta Baddha Konasana (lying down Cobbler's pose), we bring our awareness to an area above our pubic bone and a finger's width below our navel, the area of our Swadisthana Chakra. Imagine a bright orange ball growing and expanding to all areas of our body and mind. Orange is the color of the Sacral Chakra, water is the element, and the lotus flower of six petals with the central theme of creative life energy.

Rolling over to a prone position and coming to all fours, Quadriped or hands and knees, we continue our yoga practice in Cat/Cow (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana) and then move into Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) with hips circling in a figure eight. By activating the Sacral Chakra, we can come into contact with the wellsprings of our passion for living as the flow of this energy sharpens all of the senses and increases the pleasure we find in living.

Walking our feet to our hands in a Forward Folding position (Uttanasana), we bring our hands to opposite elbows, cradling our forearms, and gently twist from side to side. On the next exhale as we ground down into our feet, we arise to Mountain pose (Tadasana) allowing our head and neck to be the final movement. People who have a strongly developed Sacral Chakra often show great vitality and energize others with the joy of life. The power of opening this chakra leads to increased self esteem and a positive awareness of change. Through this capacity of enthusiasm, we can have a positive effect on the people around us.

Surya Namaskar A or Sun Salute A begins our activating practice. Adding in the following yoga postures to build heat in our bodies:
Vasisthasana or Side Plank pose with feet together or top leg lifted
Anjaneyasana or Lunge pose - gradually opening up the hips and perhaps coming into a bent knee position on the mat catching our foot behind our hips with one hand
Virabhadrasana I or Warrior I pose moving into Viparita Virabhadrasana or Exalted Warrior with straight or bent front leg
Virabhadrasana II or Warrior II pose
Utthita Parsvakonasana or Side Angle pose with the modified position of front arm bent on thigh or hand reaching to the outside of the front foot on the block or the floor
Moon Goddess or Moonflower (Utkata Konasana) keeping our knees over our ankles and opening up our arms in Cactus Flower with bent elbows
Garudasana or Eagle pose for a standing balancing pose along with Ardha Chandrasana or Half Balancing Moon
Uttan Pristhasana or Lizard pose as we deepen our awareness and open our hips. We realize the more we can accept the emotions that arise, the less "stuffing of our emotions" we allow.
Ardha Vasisthasana or Modified Side Plank with knee on the floor as we raise the extended leg, bending the knee of the raised leg, and catching the top foot behind us with the same extended arm. Thus, we open up our chests and hips.
Downward Frog or Adho Muka Mandukasana with knees on a blanket and elbows on the floor in front of us as we open our feet out to the side, we relax our jawline noticing any tension that arises as possible tension holding in the hip region as well.
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana or Pigeon Pose
(three poses with the final pose being the Thread the Needle with our hand coming towards our bent knee)
Gomukhasana or Cow Faced Pose using a strap behind our backs to lengthen our spine upwards while binding the hands behind us
Agnistambhasana or Fire Log Pose with blanket underneath the top crossed leg if there is so much tightness in our hips that our top bent knee is raised off our bottom ankle
Seated Baby Cradle
Returning to our Bridge flow and finishing up in a Supta Baddha Konasana or Supine Bound Angle using blocks underneath our thighs, a strap around our heels and waist, and blankets or blocks underneath our open palmed hands. Giving ourselves a check-up to see if we need to work on our Sacral Chakra with the following questions:

Do I enjoy life?
Do I appreciate life and all of the ebb and flow of the changes in life?
Am I too hard on myself and put too much appreciation on self-discipline or self-control?
Do I feel that my creativity is blocked?
Am I preoccupied with feelings of guilt or jealousy?
Am I struggling with severe menstral pain as a woman or prostrate issues as a man?
Do I have continual back pain, kidney, or bladder problems?
Do I feel that my physical drives are controlling me or do I have a lack of sensuality?

As we finish our yoga practice with the second chakra, place our left hand below our navel in the middle of our belly and rest the right hand gently on the left. Breathe consciously and slowly into your stomach so that your hands rise and fall in our final relaxation pose. Affirm yourself with the three life affirmations as follows:

I enjoy life with all of my senses.
I give creativity and freedom in all of my life even with the changes that life affords me.
I lovingly accept my body and sensuality.

As we release the strap around our waist and ankles, remove the blocks, and stay in a supine position, our final yoga posture is Jathara Parivartanasana or Stomach Twist/Supine Twist. Then rolling over to our right side, pausing for three breaths, and coming back to a seated posture.

Since water is the element of this chakra, we need to drink a full eight ounces of water after our final seated posture as we return to the beginning of our practice with prayer hands in front of our heart.

Namaste'